Trolley for trackless vehicles.



W. B. POTTER.

TROLLEY FOR TRAGKLESS VEHICLE? APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1303.

Patented Mar. 10. 1914.

Fig. I.

Inventor:

g Q 5% o Z 2 m W H UNITED STATES QFFTGE.

WILLIAM B. POTTER, 0F SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERA ELECTRICCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TROLLEY FOR TRACKLESS VEHICLES.

",pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

Application filed July 28, 1909. Serial No. 509,990.

useful Improvements in Trolleys for Tracie less Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to electricallydriven vehicles which are adaptedtorun over a highway withofit tracks and to receive their power from twooverhead parallel' conductors, and it consists in a novel constructionof trolley head whereby the engagement of said head with said conductorsis rendered certain in almost every case, irrespective of the positionof the vehicle or the angularity of the trolley pole with reference tosaid conductors.

The invention is particularly applicable to such a vehicle as is shownin my Patent No. 887,691, May 12, 1908, wherein the over head conductorcomprises two parallel wires conveying current. respectively to and fromthe vehicles. The trolley head has a central insulating block whichextends upward be tween the conductors and carries outwardly extendingcontact shoes adapted to engage the under side of said conductors.Flexible conducting wires are connected to the shoes and convey thecurrent to and from the vehicle motor.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvedtrolley pole and head; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the head appliedto the overhead wires, and Fig. 3 is a cross section ofthe head, on alarger scale.

The trolley pole 1 is hinged at its lower end to a bracket 2 which issecured to the top of a tubular 0st 3 rotatable in bearings 4 in thebody 0% the electric vehicle. The weight of the post and the parts whichit carries is supported by collars 5 secured to said post and restingpreferably on ball bearings. At some suitable point inside the post is acollar 6 forming an abutment to support the lower end of a compressionspring 7 housed in the post and connected at its upper end, by a link 8,with the trolley pole. This spring urges the pole upward and keeps thetrollev head in close contact with the two parallel overhead conductors9.

At the outer end of the trolley pole is secured a stem 10 having a ball11 at its top. The stem is preferably set oblique to the pole, so thatwhen the pole is up and the trolley head is in contact with theconductors, said stem will be practically vertical. The trolley headcomprises two blocks 12 13 of insulating material, preferably wood. Theyare arranged one above the other and each contains a bearing for theball 1], so that the head is thereby swiveled to the pole. Each hearinghas a metallic lining, the upper one 1 1 being semi spherical, while thelower one 15 is annular, which leaves sufficient space around the stemto permit the head to rock on the ball through a considerable angle fromthe vertical. A coiled spring 16 encircles the stem, abutting at one endon a shoulder 17 on said stem, and at the other end against the underside of the block 13, preferably in a recess 18 in said block. Thiskeeps the head normally level, and urges it toward that position whenangularly displaced.

The contact shoes 19 are secured to opposite sides of the upper block12, being preferably secured by the bolts 20 which clamp the two blocks12 and 13 together. The shoes are somewhat U-shaped, and their front andrear edges are turned down to provide smooth rounded corners. Theirenter up turned portions constitute retaining flanges which engagethe-overhead conductors and prevent their lateral disengagement.Insulated conducting wires 21., whose bared ends are soldered toterminalplates clamped by nuts on the bolts 20, extend down oppositesides of the trolley pole and convey current to the vehicle motor.

Rising between the contact shoes is a vertical lon itudinal fin 22 whichpreferably projects cyond the blocks 12 13 both in front and behind andis securely fixed in a slot in the upper block. The edges of the fintaper upwardly to a blunt point 23, from which lateral wings 24 extendto the sides of the block 12, said wings also being tapered upwardly tothe oint 23. The fin is arrow-shaped, and wit its wings constitutes apyramidal crest rising above the head and readily insertible between thetwo overhead conductors no matter at what angle the trolley pole maystand thereto or how far to one side of said conductors the vehicle maybe standing, and insures the positioning of the contact shoes on thewires for longitudinal travel thereon. This mode of operation is ofespecial value in vehicles of the class to which this invention hasreference, because upon the meeting of .two such vehicles using the sameoverhead conductors, it is necessary for both to turn out to oppositesides, and for the trolley on one to be disengaged from theconductorsuntil the other vehicle has passed. The pyramidal crest of thehead greatly facilitates the returning of the trolley to operativeengagement with the conductors. If the point of the arrow is introducedbetween the wires at almost any horizontal angle other than a rightangle thereto, the head will swivel and throw the contacts intooperative position.-.

' attached to saidpost. A double-ended hook or latch 28 is pivoted onthe lever and engages with a hole 29 or a lug 30 at the opposite ends ofthe slot in which the lever plays. A trigger 31 is pivoted on the leverand is connected with the latch by a rod'32; the trigger beingadjacentto the handle 33 of the lever so that both can be'readily graspedtogether.

When the driver pulls down the lever and locks it'in the position shownin Fig. 1, the trolley is drawn down out of contact with the overheadconductors. Upon releasing the latch, the spring 7 throws up the pole,and the lever can be latched to the hole 29 to relieve the spring of itsweight. The en'- gagement of the lever with the slot in the post enablesthe driver to turn the post in positioning the trolley for engagementwith the overhead conductors.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, l[ havedescribed the principle of operation of my inventiontogether, with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof;but I desire to have it nnderstoodthat. the apparatus shown isonly.--illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans. What I claim asnew and desire-to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. The'combination' with a trolley pole, of a head swiveled thereto, andprovided with a fin havinglateral wings, said fin and said wings beingtapered-upwardly to a common point, and contact shoes on said head onopposite sides of said fin.

2. The combination with a trolley pole, of a ball mounted thereon, ahead comprising two blocks containing bearings for said ball, a taperedfin on the upper block, and contact shoes on opposite sides of said finand extending to or below thehorizontal plane .of the ball.

3. The combination with a trolley pole, of a ball mounted thereon, ahead comprislng two blocks containing bearings for said ball, a springurging said head to a normally level position, an arrow-shaped fin onthe upper block, and contact shoes on said head and extending to orbelow the horizontal plane of the ball.

4:. The combination with a trolley pole, of a stem carryin a ball, twoblocks containing a bearing for said ball, the lower block having arecess around said ball, and the upper block having a slot, anarrow-shaped fin in said slot, lateral wings on sa1d fin a' springsurrounding .said stem and seating 1n said recess, and U-shaped contactshoes on opposite sides of the upper block.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of July,1909.

WILLIAM B. rorrnn.

Witnesses BENJAMIN B. Hum ltliELEN Onronn.

